What does prototyping mean? Why canít I just have my Squishable now?
Prototyping is how we get from a design on paper to a real life, 3D Squishable! Every design goes through a series of prototypes, anywhere from one to four rounds, to get it just right! Plush is a finicky medium, so sometimes something that looks very simple on paper is a lot more complicated to make into a 3D Squishy!

How long does the prototype process take?
If the first prototype we receive is right on the money, about six weeks, and then another 6 months to get them in stock! The longer it takes to get the design picture-perfect, the longer it will take for them to be in stock on the site. But we do our best to make sure theyíre in your arms as quick as can be!

Why doesnít the finished design always look just like the original drawing? The colors/eyes/design is different!
Often something that looks amazing in 2D drawing form just doesnít translate to fluffy stuffy plush. Plush physics work differently than a drawing - seams change the shape of an animal, fuzziness can hide important features, and colors that looks great together turn out to be weird once they have all the shadows and shine of fur. Even though we almost always have to change the colors, switch to a different style of eye, and update the design a bit, we try to stay true to the original concept as much as possible!

Why can't you do a curly fur/a patterned fur/etc.?
We make our Squishables in three different lengths of fur: a short length one, a regular length one, and an extra long length one. This is what they look like!

We donít have curly, wavy, or other fancy fabrics available, but sometimes we do have a couple special patterns. Those are pretty limited as well:

How often does the prototype page get updated?
As often as we can! We tend to update a few designs at a time as their new versions come in, but generally itís about every week or two depending on how many designs are in process at once! We always have some behind-the-scenes prototypes in the works, too!

I thought you were making this one design, but it's not on the page anymore. What gives?
Once in a while, we get a design that just does not want itself to be plushified! If we get to the third or fourth prototype and the design just isnít working out, we sometimes make the decision to put the design on hold indefinitely. If you love it, set it free and all that! If it's a Project Open Squish design, don't worry, the designer still gets paid and receives a copy of the last prototype :)

How does the design submission process work?

Why does Project Open Squish have to be an over-18 contest? My design is awesome!
I bet it is! We really wish we could make Open Squish open to everyone, but we're not allowed! Not even if your parents agree, not even if you want to submit it under someone else's name (which is also not allowed because you're swearing it's your own work). Why? All winners will have to sign legal documentation under their own name in order to get paid, and in the US
only people over 18 have the ability to do that. But there's good news! We're trying to figure out how to do an under-18 contest later in the year, which will be AWESOME! SO, stay tuned!

How can I give my design the best shot at making it to voting?
All designs are reviewed by the Squishy design team for adherence to all of the submission requirements. They check if the design will make a good plush item, and if it matches all the art, character, and design standards. So before you submit, you might want to make sure that your design passes absolutely every single one of them!

Here are some things that we take special note of:

Make sure your design looks polished enough. All art needs to be smooth and professional-grade, no matter what medium it's created in, to be approved. That means you might want to think twice before trusting your design to a camera-phone photo in ball point pen on lined notebook paper :)

Use the "About this design" area to really sell your design! Convince your voters that this animal/monster/object is the best thing that can possibly be made into a Squishable!

Remember, the design can't be too similar to something we already make or are in the process of making. Sometimes there are exceptions for designs that are very different from ones we have, but it's a risk you'll be taking! Check the website and the in-process designs page first!

As a warning, we get a huge number of designs of different types of birds, and different breeds of dogs. They're all adorable! But because we can only take the top designs,know that the competition is very very stiff in those two areas, and voters historically aren't as excited about them. If you want to give your design the best chance, reconsider a bird or dog design.

How are winners chosen?

How many winners will there be?
For each round there is usually one, but on rare occasions there might be more! Once the Squishy design team chooses the designs that will work as a plush design and that pass all the submission requirements, they'll appear on the website for everyone to vote on!

How do you pick a winner in Open Squish? Is it whoever gets the highest score each round?
Glad you asked! Basically, yes, but with a twist! To make voting fair for the artists, Open Squish winners are those scoring highest in their round, who score above the minimum voting threshold (right now that's a 4.2 or above). If more than one design scores above the threshold, weíll consider making TWO! That way, even though round selection for designs is random, really popular designs wonít miss out just because they happen to be placed in a round with OTHER really popular designs.

Does that mean sometimes there wonít be any winners at all for a round?
Sometimes, very rarely, it might! There could potentially be a round when fans donít want any of the designs enough for them to be made. But on the other hand, sometimes, there might be a round with TWO winners! The two should even out, and weíll be able to make more prototypes that fans REALLY want.

Why can't all the winners automatically be added to the official Squishy line?
A design might be absolutely amazing, but sometimes once we turn it into a prototype we realize that the construction just won't work! But no fear, all winners still get their payment, gift certificate, and their name permanently on the site as a winner. And even if the design doesn't make it to market, designers still get to keep the final prototype of their plush design!

You guys are always tweaking the Open Squish process! How come? Open Squish seems pretty great already!
We agree! Open Squish is SUPER amazing! So why do we change it every once in a while? Most companies use fan votes as "advice" and make all the real choices themselves. That doesn't seem fair to us :). We leave choices almost entirely up to fans, but that means constantly updating the systems and procedures to reflect the info you tell us! Itís the only way to choose as many high-scoring fan designs as possible! Which is what itís all about! Woo hoo!